the smell of fresh paint
by ceci n'est pas une ecrivain
Summary: In which Sasuke gets slightly high off paint fumes and overanalyzes as a result, while Sakura remains blissfully unaware. SasuSaku.


_This was originally written way back in July for SasuSaku month. I think my writing style might have changed a little since then..._

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><p>Sasuke scowled as he ran the paint roller down the already white wall. It was one thing to be stuck doing a D-rank mission; it was another thing entirely to be stuck doing a D-rank mission with only Sakura for company. "Remind me again why we're here," he said through gritted teeth.<p>

"Because there are too many missions and not enough ninja because of the _thing_ that happened during the Chuunin Exams," Sakura replied absentmindedly as she continued working meticulously on the corner of the wall.

Well, painting some snobby civilian's house definitely beat raking leaves, to which Naruto and each of his hundreds of Shadow Clones were assigned, but Sasuke was already in a horrible mood, and Sakura's near constant babble, which he'd normally be able to at least tune out, was exacerbating his already splitting headache.

It was too hot. The smell of fresh paint was nearly suffocating. Sasuke wanted to throw up.

And now Sakura was staring at him quizzically, with her head tilted to the side. "Sasuke-kun? Are you okay?"

Sasuke scowled and grunted in affirmation. Losing to his brother was bad enough – he wasn't about to submit to paint fumes, of all things.

But Sakura refused to leave him alone. She dropped the paintbrush she was holding into an empty can, and within seconds, she was by his side. "No, you're not." Before Sasuke could even blink, her hands were on him – one on his arm and the other on his forehead. "Hm, you don't seem to have a fever…"

He jerked away from her. "I'm _fine_," he snapped.

"No, you're not!" Sakura yelled back suddenly. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she gave a shrill gasp and covered her mouth with both her hands. "I… I mean… I'm sorry…"

Sasuke grunted again as he continued to paint. Sakura had no idea what she was talking about, he quickly concluded. He was perfectly _fine_, thankyouverymuch. Not dizzy, not feeling sick to his stomach. Perfectly healthy.

Come to think of it, didn't Sakura get hurt every time she worried about him or tried to take care of him? First, there was that time in the Forest of Death, when the last thing he saw before losing consciousness after Orochimaru's attack was a long-haired, relatively uninjured Sakura – and then, upon waking up, he saw an injured, short-haired Sakura. And then there was what happened during the Chuunin Exams – he was too absorbed in his own physical pain to see her try to protect him, and then that Gaara hurt her, too.

And now she was trying to take care of him again, which only meant that something terrible was about to happen to her. _Obviously_. Well Sasuke wasn't about to let that happen, if he had any say in things.

But the steadily increasing nausea was becoming nearly impossible to ignore, and Sakura was looking at him worriedly again. But he had to appear normal, or something terrible would happen and Sakura would be hurt…

… and then something in her eyes shifted, and they gleamed with startling clarity. "It's the paint, isn't it?" she asked. "It's making you sick."

Sasuke gave a noncommittal grunt as he focused on an unpainted spot near the floor instead of on Sakura's eyes.

She sighed and made her way to his side, putting a hand on his back and guiding him outside and out of the room. "Come on," she said, her voice soothing and gentle in his ears. "You'll be fine if you get some fresh air." She helped him sit down in a chair out in the garden.

But to his surprise, she didn't stay with him. "Where are you going?" he called out as she approached the glass door.

She gave him a gentle smile. "Someone has to finish the mission. You just relax."

Within less than half an hour, his stomach stopped rolling and his head stopped pounding.

_Sakura worrying about my health means that something terrible is going to happen to her?_ He threw his arm over his forehead and closed his eyes. _What was I thinking…?_

The glass door slid open, and Sakura stuck her head outside. "Sasuke-kun?" she called. "I'm almost done, so we'll be able to go soon. Are you feeling any better?"

And as Sasuke looked at her – at only about half of her hair pulled back into the smallest of ponytails with the rest hanging limply in the front without her forehead protector keeping it secure, at the red flush spreading across her face from the heat, at the way her eyes seemed to sparkle in the sunlight – he allowed himself the tiniest of smiles as he grunted in affirmation.

Her smile seemed to light up her entire face, and Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how long it had been since he last saw her smile like that. "Great!" And then she was gone, and Sasuke sighed in relief.

And for a brief moment, everything that had happened – the invasion, the election of the new Hokage, his brother's surprise visit home – was shoved to the back of his mind, and Sasuke wanted nothing more than for the lazy days filled with D-ranks to never end.


End file.
